paraphrase

noun

A restatement of a text in different words, often to clarify meaning or from memory rather than verbatim.

(Scotland) One of a certain number of Scripture passages turned into verse for use in the service of praise.

verb

(ambitransitive) To restate something as, or to compose a paraphrase. To repeat a written or spoken phrase/quote using different words, often in a simpler and shorter form, or sometimes in a humorous context.

Roots

parapara- · Greek · beside, beyond phrasis-phrase · Greek · speech

Synonyms for paraphrase

rewordv rephrasev metaphrase restatev summarizev restatementn translationn rewritev

Synonyms & related words for paraphrase

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of paraphrase — including reword, rephrase, metaphrase, restate, summarize, restatement. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to paraphrase

Explore words related to paraphrase — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include paraphrasable, paraphraser, paraphrast, paraphrastic, misquote, metaphrast, quoting, misquotation. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for paraphrase

Common synonyms for paraphrase include reword, rephrase, metaphrase, restate, summarize, restatement, translation, rewrite — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does paraphrase come from?

The word paraphrase breaks down into 2 roots of Greek origin: para-, from Greek para (“beside, beyond”); and -phrase, from Greek phrasis (“speech”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.